Innholdsfortegnelse for TAK2328 i Take 5

Celina Quinones, 38. My date, Joseph, 28, held up a bowling ball and grinned at me. “If I knock down a pin, will you give me a kiss?” he asked. “Sure,” I laughed, admiring his confidence. It was 2006, I was 21 and my best friend had arranged a double date with me and Joseph, who was her boyfriend’s brother. They were sure we’d make a good pair. I was delighted when Joseph, or Joey as I’d come to call him, knocked down three pins. “Come here,” I laughed, laying a smooch on him. Kissing Joey felt very natural and from that night on we were a couple. The more we got to know each other, the more similarities we discovered. So too, did other people who saw us out…

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Peri Ndakize, 20, Wodonga, Vic. Dishing up our dinner of traditional fufu and beans, my mum, Esperance, sighed. “I wish we could afford to buy a house,” she said. “We’d be settled and wouldn’t have to worry about being evicted.” It hadn’t happened to us but it had to our neighbours so it was a real worry. Mum did everything she could to provide for my four brothers and me. We’d moved to Australia in 2016, when I was 13, as refugees from the Congo. My dad Kabengera had died there and life was tough for Mum. But she was determined to give us a fresh start when we arrived in Wodonga, Vic. We rented a unit, and my brothers Alan, 18, Andrew, 17, Mercy, 14, and Sunday, six, and…

Cooking rice in vegie stock instead of plain water makes it taste much better.Kayleigh Mitchell, Mandurah, WA. In hotels, you can close the curtains properly using a clothes hanger – just clip them shut with the pants clips. No more waking up early!Lisa Kumar, Cranbourne East, Vic. Hairspray is an effective way to lift permanent marker off a countertop.Ellie Fernandez, Toowong, Qld. When you’ve boiled eggs, let the water cool then pour it into the soil around your plants, for extra fertiliser.Emily Hassan, Wentworth Point, NSW. From about this time of year, I put all my spare coins and cash in a box. It’s surprising how it adds up towards Christmas!M. Pickard, Alice Springs, NT. Cooking for one? Cut a frozen pizza into slices then cook a few in the…

Tracy*, 44, Liverpool, NSW. My mother-in-law, Leanne, swanned in, arms out, ready to hug my kids. “Hello darlings,” she said grandly. Then she proffered me her coat and gave me an air kiss. “Gosh, they’re doing homework so late,” she said, clocking the books and pens on the table. Here we go, I thought. “You really should try to get them to do it straight after school. They won’t be able to concentrate now,” she said. Leanne meant well, but she couldn’t help herself. Her ‘advice’ was never sought yet offered up liberally, and always packaged as though it came from a place of care, but I could see it for what it really was: criticism. Mainly of me. When my husband Matt’s father, Leanne’s husband, died, Matt had started…

Brian Barron, 58, Central Coast, NSW. I opened the back door to check on the dogs. It was Saturday morning in January of this year and, as usual, Molly, the three-year-old wolfhound, and Andy, the five-year-old greyhound were staring back at me, tails wagging. But our third dog, Jax, was nowhere to be seen. “Jax,” I called. Our five-year-old Staffy was a rescue dog whose anxiety meant he had a tendency to get out. And as my partner, Debbie, 52, and I panned the garden, I noticed a big hole under the fence. “I’m going to look for him,” I told her and set out on foot around the neighbourhood. In the distance, I could hear barking that sounded like it was coming from up the top of the hill…

Amy Elsegood, 31. Picking up a red pencil, I started working on my self-portrait. Aged five, I’d drawn my yellow hair and two big blue eyes. But now, as I gripped the pencil, I drew a big red line down the centre of my face. “Look, it’s me,” I told my mum, Lisa. “It’s beautiful, and so are you,” she said. Born with a birthmark covering the left side of my face, I was diagnosed with a port wine stain. Doctors explained it was a capillary malformation, meaning blood vessels in that area of my skin were permanently dilated. There was no medical issue, but I needed regular check-ups to make sure there wasn’t too much pressure on my eye. Laser treatment could reduce the redness and stop my birthmark…

From cosy nights in front of the heater to rugging up in seasonal layers, there are a lot of things to love about winter. However, it’s also a time of year that brings a few things we don’t enjoy – such as dry skin, potential low vitamin D levels and, of course, those dreaded coughs and colds. The good news is a few tweaks to your diet can help to combat these challenges. Here are foods to add to your shopping list to keep those winter ills at bay. SOOTHE DRY SKIN If you’re one of the many people who battles dry skin at this time of year, nutritionist Silvia Kramska from Jusi Vitamins recommends loading up on nutrients to feed your skin. “Add foods like sunflower seeds, rich in…

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Suzi Dent, 61, Gold Coast, Qld. I could have fallen off my seat with excitement. “It’s Rolf Harris,” my boss told me. It was 1986 and, at 23 years old, I had my dream job as a make-up artist to some of Australia’s biggest celebrities. In the three years since I qualified, I’d worked with well-known names like Home and Away’s Dieter Brummer, and A-listers like Judy Davis and Bryan Brown, and requests were pouring in from TV and movie studios. Now, the agency who handled my commissions had called to book me in for a full-day video shoot with Rolf Harris at Channel Seven’s studios in Epping, NSW, where he was filming a promo clip for his latest TV show. As a kid, I’d spent my Saturday nights glued…

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Christy Gendron, 45. My daughter Ashley turned around from the computer screen and faced me. “Mum, say hello to Jack,” she said. Ashley, 18, had been chatting to Jack, 21, for years after they became Facebook friends when she was 12. He lived overseas in the UK and by the age of 16 she had started referring to him as her boyfriend. The couple of times I’d spoken to him briefly, he seemed like a nice guy, and Ashley was besotted by him. After years of chatting online most days, she told me her plans to fly overseas. “It’s time Jack and I met,” she said. By now, she was 19 and, although Ashley had never had a boyfriend before, I’d raised her and her sister Hailey, 21, to be…

Tyla Wanstall, 26. Walking down the stairs, I gasped in shock as my mother, Leah, leapt out from behind the kitchen door. “Surprise!” she yelled. “Happy birthday!” I’d just turned 25 and the living room was filled to the brim with balloons and banners. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Mum beaming alongside my sisters Ocean, 22, Brooke, 16 and baby brother Sonny, 11. “Thanks Mum,” I said, laughing. “I’m a grown man though, you don’t need to make a fuss.” “You’ll always be my baby,” Mum, 50, said, hugging me. “And I’ll always make a fuss of you.” Mum handed me the same special present she got me every year – some money, cans of energy drink and a box of chocolates. Brooke caught my eye and…

Hi Take 5ers, I’ve been asked by my husband’s sister to be a bridesmaid, but I can’t stand her. She’s always extremely rude and belittling, which my husband has noticed. I’ve tried my best with her, and even had her as one of my own bridesmaids, but she made everyone else feel extremely uncomfortable. She left 20 minutes into my hens’ party, was mean to my other bridesmaids, and refused to get ready with them before the wedding. I don’t want to cause friction with my husband’s family but equally I don’t feel comfortable playing such a big part in her day. What should I do? Lisa*, 34. Ask her if this is what she really wants. She might be offering an olive branch after realising how badly she acted…

Being able to cut hair is one thing, but it takes true artistry to trim off a few years along with the split ends. That’s exactly what celebrity hairdresser and co-owner of Sydney’s Wild Life Hair Sogo, Ali Holmes, is renowned for. The seasoned hairstylist chats to us here about the secret to a more youthful look. Hair that’s in bad condition… “Hair that’s dry and brittle absorbs light and gives a dull, lifeless look,” says Ali. “It’s important to keep on top of regular trims to keep the ends healthy.” If you want to add the lustre back to your locks, start using hair oils. “They’re best used on the ends of wet hair from the ears down, where it gets most dry,” says Ali. 1. Pantene Pro V…

She’s been a travel reporter on Channel Nine’s Getaway for 27 years, so Catriona Rowntree knows her way around. As something of a travel expert she’s sharing her top 10 holiday spots in Australia. It’s safe to say these are not to be missed… 1 Cairns, Qld I actually love the galleries here that bring together the best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, creators and sculptors. This place just makes me happy! 2 Bruny Island, Tas I vote Tassie as an awesome drive trip, so make time to take the car ferry across to this tiny island filled with all sorts of treats. Wineries, gin, cheese, chocolate – it’s all here! The pub is awesome, too, so make sure you stop in. 3 The Kimberley, WA Plan a trip…

Laura Costen, 34, Nebo, Qld. Sitting in my car, I anxiously waited at the school gates for my son, Stanley, five. “Hey, how was school?” I asked when he opened the car door. Without saying a word, Stanley angrily chucked his bag and threw himself onto the floor. That night, after Stanley and his sister, Malachy, three, were asleep, I cried, like I had done every day since my son started kindergarten. Stanley, who’d been diagnosed with ADHD and autism, often struggled in social situations and lost focus. He also didn’t start speaking until he was four. Malachy was also diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorder, which made her very particular about the textures and tastes of her food. I’d been worried about how Stanley would fit in at…